Graduate Milestones

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This page contains information on milestone completion for the Linguistics PhD program.

  1. Status Update Form
  2. Checklist of Milestones
  3. Description of Annual Progress Report

Status Update Form

Submit a Linguistics PhD Status Update whenever you complete a degree requirement, need to submit an annual progress report, or want to take leave or depart the program.

Submit Status Update

Accessing the Form

  • Make sure your UW Google account is activated.
  • Log into Google using your full UW email address as the username. Example: netID@uw.edu
  • Using a private browsing window helps ensure you are not logged into your personal Google account.
  • If you are a new PhD student or need help, contact the GPC (Graduate Program Coordinator) at linggpc@uw.edu for assistance.

Checklist of Milestones

Linguistics PhD students must complete every milestone on this list to graduate. The timeline below is only an example, and you may complete some milestones earlier or later if approved by your advisor and supervisory committee. Review the Degree Requirements page for detailed descriptions of each milestone.

CLMS Transition Students

If you transitioned into the Linguistics PhD program after completion of the CLMS (Computational Linguistics Master of Science) program, then you receive only four years of guaranteed funding support from the Department of Linguistics because many of your courses and one of your Generals Papers (by way of your CLMS thesis) will already be complete. Adjust your timeline accordingly.

All quarters

If not enrolling, request leave no later than Friday of the second-to-last week of the quarter (the last week of instruction).

Year 1

  1. Secure advisor by December 1st
  2. Submit Annual Progress Report by May 15th

Year 2

  1. Finish GP1 (Generals Paper 1)
  2. Present GP1 (Generals Paper 1) at GP Fest in late April / early May
  3. Submit Annual Progress Report by May 15th

Year 3

  1. Finish Required Coursework
  2. Finish Language Requirement
  3. Finish GP2 (Generals Paper 2)
  4. Secure supervisory committee
  5. Complete General Exam
  6. Submit Annual Progress Report by May 15th

Year 4

  1. Present paper at colloquium/conference (1 of 2)
  2. Finish Prospectus (dissertation proposal) within 6 months after General Exam
  3. Submit Annual Progress Report by May 15th

Year 5 

  1. Present paper at colloquium/conference (2 of 2)
  2. Submit Annual Progress Report by May 15th
  3. Complete Final Exam (dissertation defense)
  4. Publish Dissertation (status update form not needed – you're done!)

Description of Annual Progress Report

The Annual Progress Report is your yearly update to the Department of Linguistics on your academic and scholarly progress and on the status of your external funding. This report helps the department know how to best connect you with resources and avoid assigning you assistantship work that conflicts with your course schedule.

Deadline: You must submit your report between April 1st and May 15th every year. This deadline is important for disbursement of awards and funding.

Required Information

You must to submit this report as part of a meeting with your primary advisor. Either party may contact the GPC at linggpc@uw.edu for consultation or mediation at any time. The report includes:

  • Current GPA. You must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 to graduate.
  • Current track and concentration. Your track is either general linguistics or computational linguistics, and determines what minimum course requirements you must meet. Your concentration describes what area of linguistics scholarship you are focusing on.
  • Course progress and planning. You will indicate what required courses for your track you have completed so far, and what your course plans are for at least the following year. This helps us avoid time conflicts when assigning work to TA's (teaching assistants).
  • Description of external funding sources that you've identified, applied for, or procured:
    1. 1. Identification of sources. Every year, including your first year, you must identify at least three potential external funding sources in consultation with your advisor. Options include:
      • Any support that does not come out of the Department of Linguistics' general budget, such as fellowships or assistantships in other departments.
      • Opportunities not yet available to you but that you strongly suspect will become available, such as dissertation grants, or assistantship positions in other departments based on past job postings.
      • Opportunities that provide both tuition exemption and a stipend are ideal but are not required. If you procure only partial funding then the Department of Linguistics will help you make up the difference.
    2. 2. Applying for / procuring funding. Every year from your 2nd year onwards, you must actually procure, or make a genuine effort to apply for, at least one external funding source.
      • Iterating through multiple drafts of applications should be done in advance, in consultation with your advisor. The opportunities you apply for do not need to be the ones you previously identified.
      • If you have already been assigned for a year-long SA or TA position in the Department of Linguistics, you do not have to apply for external funding for that year.
  • Achievements and comments. Indicate other scholarly activities you or your advisor want to highlight, such as conference attendance, papers written or published, presentations, and awards.
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